TravisJB Journal

RCZ · 01-13-2011, 12:11 PM

Chris, I have a buddy that does GTR2 leagues too, he's pretty good. We should all play together one night. I usually host the server. Do you have any mods for it installed? We were racing JGTC cars the other night on Suzuka. We use ventrilo to chat while we play.

ChrisSlicks · 01-13-2011, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCZ

Chris, I have a buddy that does GTR2 leagues too, he's pretty good. We should all play together one night. I usually host the server. Do you have any mods for it installed? We were racing JGTC cars the other night on Suzuka. We use ventrilo to chat while we play.

I have a clean install for the league racing as they use their own car and track pack, and have a couple of other side by side installs with various mods. Haven't tried the JGTC cars, will have to check it out. I'm set up for Ventrillo too. Biggest problem lately has just been time

RCZ · 01-13-2011, 04:30 PM

Same here man, I have everything but time.

Do you have the Champ car Lola mod? That is my favorite. Champ car + nurburgring track from GTR Evo = win.

travisjb · 01-13-2011, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisSlicks

I use iRacing to learn tracks and even to refine my skills at a given track. The tracks are incredibly accurate, but the problem is there isn't much in the way of production race cars. I like driving the C6.R around, that thing is such a beast. The steering feedback is a little lacking, they could do better in this department given that in a simulator it is one of your primary senses.

you probably realize this but they are talking up a forthcoming upgrade on the 'tire model' that should make steering response and car physics much more realistic... more of a bottoms up model based on physics of tire compound vs current empirical approach to modeling car dynamics... video

PS Travis 79,561 Raul 79,557

travisjb · 01-13-2011, 10:59 PM

PPS picked up freshly painted Stillen fascia and powder coated rear diffuser tonight!

... I think I'll run the next PIR event in TTS trim with full aero and sticky tires - just for kicks

Chuckwalla raceway this weekend as well... pics forthcoming

Josh@STILLEN · 01-13-2011, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travisjb

PPS picked up freshly painted Stillen fascia and powder coated rear diffuser tonight!

... I think I'll run the next PIR event in TTS trim with full aero and sticky tires - just for kicks

Chuckwalla raceway this weekend as well... pics forthcoming

When you get it on let's do a blog post!

travisjb · 01-13-2011, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh@STILLEN

When you get it on let's do a blog post!

That'd be great. Just so you know the dive planes / canards were permanently attached so may not be the best for marketing purposes

RCZ · 01-13-2011, 11:18 PM

pictures or death.

Josh@STILLEN · 01-13-2011, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travisjb

That'd be great. Just so you know the dive planes / canards were permanently attached so may not be the best for marketing purposes

Dude it's a race car.. we love race cars.. let's do it..

Josh@STILLEN · 01-13-2011, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travisjb

PS Travis 79,561 Raul 79,557

I'm betting half of each thread is travis and raul looking at each others ****..

travisjb · 01-13-2011, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCZ

pictures or death.

um, pictures please alex! lol

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh@STILLEN

Dude it's a race car.. we love race cars.. let's do it..

deal!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh@STILLEN

I'm betting half of each thread is travis and raul looking at each others ****..

in which case he's winning?! damn!

RCZ · 01-13-2011, 11:34 PM

hahaha, I've, admittedly, been in here once or twice before.

travisjb · 01-16-2011, 01:18 AM

Terrific day at the track! one of those days that makes me really love this Z! For starters, I was able to shave ~4 seconds off my time at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. Dropped from 2:03 to 1:59 and change, finally breaking the 2 min barrier!

I believe the course record for a production car is held by a new Z06 w/ slicks is 1:53.xx. My 1:59 was on NT01s, so I think it is feasible that I could close that gap with the right setup. How sweet would that be for a 370z to own a track record?! Slicks should be worth 3-4 seconds, then perhaps 1 second in weight and 1 sec in balls!...

As a bonus, there were some really cool cars at the track... I got to pass a fleet of mustang challenge racecars... credit to the drivers, they were on street tires, so must have been frustrating to have me buzzing around them... a couple of them wanted my group to hang out until the next day when their Porsche cup cars would show up so they'd have a better shot at us... I also go to drive with and overtake the new Ferrari 458 Italia and a Lotus two-eleven. Yes, I realize this is useless without video! Sorry!!! My traqmate is at the factory being repaired... I'll post some pictures up later once they are processed by CaliPhotography.

Got lots of compliments on the new Stillen fascia. Some folks recognized it by name - so clearly Josh your magazine ads and what-not are making an impression. I'm very happy with it overall. Pros: the front hangs just a bit higher than OEM which leaves more clearance for my splitter, creates a lot more room for cooling components - helpful even for NA cars, perfect setup to create brake duct cooling, looks great... The only con is that it weighs ~4-6 pounds more than OEM, but I would recommend regardless

The rear diffuser is now powder coated black and I trimmed down the vertical fins to a rounded 5" max... before they extended as much as 7.5" It now looks much more integrated on the car...

I have to say that lowering this car works wonders on a fast track. I am now dropped about as low as you'd ever want to go and will prob bring it back up 1/4" in rear, but it has definitely helped with carrying speed through corners and corner exit speed

Next up... a shop I trust has agreed to go on the hunt for the next 100 pounds! that would be so sweet! we have some ideas on where to get it - I'll be reporting back on that soon... will be gutting the hood / latches and replacing headlights with blanks, for example... all NVH stuff is going to be nix'ed

The AP Racing brakes are still great... and the new pads are fantastic... but I'm not getting the most out of them for two reasons... 1) my ABS is disabled right now, which given my improvement in time maybe I should keep it this way??? 2) one of the front rotors is severely warped and when I brake there is a major shimmy through the steering wheel... going to need a new set of front rotors... Josh!!!!???

Also, given the planned weight reduction, I am very tempted to get some Hoosier 80s and run my next PIR event in NASA TTS trim... goal would be to get into the 1:05s... we'll see!

For those that want to learn more about this great track...

CVR is the first new California road course since 1961. Designed as a private club (think Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch), and situated on 1,100 fenced-in acres, the final build-out will include 2 additional tracks, a clubhouse, pool, lots of garages, viewing stands, RV parking and every other amenity a private club should have. But all that fancy stuff is still in the minds of the builders. At the moment, all you’ll find when you drive through the front gate is an open paddock area, the foundation for a fuel farm (diesel, unleaded & race fuels, to be up and flowing in 2 weeks), hot pit and a 2.7 mile ribbon of perfect, black asphalt. The track surface is a marvel of modern engineering, 40 feet wide and absolutely seamless. It was graded and compacted and constructed of materials meeting or exceeding FAA runway standards. The entire 2.7 miles was laid and rolled in one day by 3 machines running abreast. Hence, no seams. Boasting safe operations in either direction, the track has 4 decent straights, 17 turns, lovely curb rolls, a few elevation changes, and abundant safe run-off areas when things get hairy. The track is not super fast, but it is technical enough to keep things interesting. Running clockwise and coming out of a 1000 foot straight, Turns 8-9-10 are tricky/technical, with a blind, uphill late apex off-camber turn that quickly captures a driver’s attention and demands precision if he wants to a) stay on the course; and b) fully exploit the track’s longest (at 1330 feet) straight that immediately follows. Turn 13 is a 10 degree banked bowl with a radius much more generous than Buttonwillow’s, and is a good test of car and driver as you set up for a few finishing high-speed turns and your run to the front straight. (I can’t wait to someday read Billy Johnson’s “driver’s notes” on this track. Cricket would be very happy here.) CVR President and Co-Founder, Mickey Grana, claims the track record (1:53:xxx) in his banana yellow Z06. But the track is still brand spanking new, so I have no doubt his record will fall before too long. CVR is located outside Desert Center, the approximate geographic epicenter between L.A. and Phoenix west and east, and Las Vegas and San Diego north and south. I’d be lying if I said Desert Center was anything other than a ghost town. During WWII, General Patton trained his troops here in anticipation of the invasion of North Africa, and I suspect the place has been going downhill ever since the last tank departed. But if CVR’s build-out proceeds according to project projections, Desert Center could well rise from the ashes and become a destination resort location. Well, maybe not “resort,” but at least decent enough to spend a comfortable racing weekend.

travisjb · 01-16-2011, 01:19 AM

ChrisSlicks · 01-16-2011, 08:35 AM

Congrats Travis! The track sounds beautiful.

I'm glad that new tracks are getting built, it's a risky business in this economy. Despite that though there is a new one 50% complete 100 miles from my house and another one in the planning phases. Most of them seem to be getting built as private clubs unfortunately, which reduces the ability for other racing clubs to rent the facility once they reach full membership. That just happened at Monticello Motor Club in NY. Oh and to apply for membership you get turned down unless you have a net worth over $1m. At least the new track that is getting built doesn't seem to be targeting the super rich.

01-13-2011, 10:59 PM	#1190 (permalink)
travisjb A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: GSO Posts: 2,803 Drives: VIR Rep Power: 188	PPS picked up freshly painted Stillen fascia and powder coated rear diffuser tonight! ... I think I'll run the next PIR event in TTS trim with full aero and sticky tires - just for kicks Chuckwalla raceway this weekend as well... pics forthcoming __________________ 2009 370Z #104 For Sale

01-16-2011, 01:18 AM	#1198 (permalink)
travisjb A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: GSO Posts: 2,803 Drives: VIR Rep Power: 188	Terrific day at the track! one of those days that makes me really love this Z! For starters, I was able to shave ~4 seconds off my time at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. Dropped from 2:03 to 1:59 and change, finally breaking the 2 min barrier! I believe the course record for a production car is held by a new Z06 w/ slicks is 1:53.xx. My 1:59 was on NT01s, so I think it is feasible that I could close that gap with the right setup. How sweet would that be for a 370z to own a track record?! Slicks should be worth 3-4 seconds, then perhaps 1 second in weight and 1 sec in balls!... As a bonus, there were some really cool cars at the track... I got to pass a fleet of mustang challenge racecars... credit to the drivers, they were on street tires, so must have been frustrating to have me buzzing around them... a couple of them wanted my group to hang out until the next day when their Porsche cup cars would show up so they'd have a better shot at us... I also go to drive with and overtake the new Ferrari 458 Italia and a Lotus two-eleven. Yes, I realize this is useless without video! Sorry!!! My traqmate is at the factory being repaired... I'll post some pictures up later once they are processed by CaliPhotography. Got lots of compliments on the new Stillen fascia. Some folks recognized it by name - so clearly Josh your magazine ads and what-not are making an impression. I'm very happy with it overall. Pros: the front hangs just a bit higher than OEM which leaves more clearance for my splitter, creates a lot more room for cooling components - helpful even for NA cars, perfect setup to create brake duct cooling, looks great... The only con is that it weighs ~4-6 pounds more than OEM, but I would recommend regardless The rear diffuser is now powder coated black and I trimmed down the vertical fins to a rounded 5" max... before they extended as much as 7.5" It now looks much more integrated on the car... I have to say that lowering this car works wonders on a fast track. I am now dropped about as low as you'd ever want to go and will prob bring it back up 1/4" in rear, but it has definitely helped with carrying speed through corners and corner exit speed Next up... a shop I trust has agreed to go on the hunt for the next 100 pounds! that would be so sweet! we have some ideas on where to get it - I'll be reporting back on that soon... will be gutting the hood / latches and replacing headlights with blanks, for example... all NVH stuff is going to be nix'ed The AP Racing brakes are still great... and the new pads are fantastic... but I'm not getting the most out of them for two reasons... 1) my ABS is disabled right now, which given my improvement in time maybe I should keep it this way??? 2) one of the front rotors is severely warped and when I brake there is a major shimmy through the steering wheel... going to need a new set of front rotors... Josh!!!!??? Also, given the planned weight reduction, I am very tempted to get some Hoosier 80s and run my next PIR event in NASA TTS trim... goal would be to get into the 1:05s... we'll see! For those that want to learn more about this great track... CVR is the first new California road course since 1961. Designed as a private club (think Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch), and situated on 1,100 fenced-in acres, the final build-out will include 2 additional tracks, a clubhouse, pool, lots of garages, viewing stands, RV parking and every other amenity a private club should have. But all that fancy stuff is still in the minds of the builders. At the moment, all you’ll find when you drive through the front gate is an open paddock area, the foundation for a fuel farm (diesel, unleaded & race fuels, to be up and flowing in 2 weeks), hot pit and a 2.7 mile ribbon of perfect, black asphalt. The track surface is a marvel of modern engineering, 40 feet wide and absolutely seamless. It was graded and compacted and constructed of materials meeting or exceeding FAA runway standards. The entire 2.7 miles was laid and rolled in one day by 3 machines running abreast. Hence, no seams. Boasting safe operations in either direction, the track has 4 decent straights, 17 turns, lovely curb rolls, a few elevation changes, and abundant safe run-off areas when things get hairy. The track is not super fast, but it is technical enough to keep things interesting. Running clockwise and coming out of a 1000 foot straight, Turns 8-9-10 are tricky/technical, with a blind, uphill late apex off-camber turn that quickly captures a driver’s attention and demands precision if he wants to a) stay on the course; and b) fully exploit the track’s longest (at 1330 feet) straight that immediately follows. Turn 13 is a 10 degree banked bowl with a radius much more generous than Buttonwillow’s, and is a good test of car and driver as you set up for a few finishing high-speed turns and your run to the front straight. (I can’t wait to someday read Billy Johnson’s “driver’s notes” on this track. Cricket would be very happy here.) CVR President and Co-Founder, Mickey Grana, claims the track record (1:53:xxx) in his banana yellow Z06. But the track is still brand spanking new, so I have no doubt his record will fall before too long. CVR is located outside Desert Center, the approximate geographic epicenter between L.A. and Phoenix west and east, and Las Vegas and San Diego north and south. I’d be lying if I said Desert Center was anything other than a ghost town. During WWII, General Patton trained his troops here in anticipation of the invasion of North Africa, and I suspect the place has been going downhill ever since the last tank departed. But if CVR’s build-out proceeds according to project projections, Desert Center could well rise from the ashes and become a destination resort location. Well, maybe not “resort,” but at least decent enough to spend a comfortable racing weekend. __________________ 2009 370Z #104 For Sale

01-16-2011, 01:19 AM	#1199 (permalink)
travisjb A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: GSO Posts: 2,803 Drives: VIR Rep Power: 188	__________________ 2009 370Z #104 For Sale

01-16-2011, 08:35 AM	#1200 (permalink)
ChrisSlicks A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: North East Posts: 6,203 Drives: 09 370Z Sport M6 Rep Power: 653	Congrats Travis! The track sounds beautiful. I'm glad that new tracks are getting built, it's a risky business in this economy. Despite that though there is a new one 50% complete 100 miles from my house and another one in the planning phases. Most of them seem to be getting built as private clubs unfortunately, which reduces the ability for other racing clubs to rent the facility once they reach full membership. That just happened at Monticello Motor Club in NY. Oh and to apply for membership you get turned down unless you have a net worth over $1m. At least the new track that is getting built doesn't seem to be targeting the super rich. __________________ Hotchkis ARB \| Stillen CAI \| Art Pipes \| Berk CBE \| Stillen AP Racing Brakes \| AE Performance Oil Cooler \| BC Racing ER Coilovers \| Doran Control Arms

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
DannyGT's Journal/Progress	DannyGT	Member's 370Z Gallery	174	10-17-2017 11:25 AM
RCZ's 370Z Journal.	RCZ	Member's 370Z Gallery	1743	08-10-2013 12:55 AM
Edmonton Journal Review of the 370Z	BanningZ	Nissan 370Z General Discussions	13	08-09-2009 06:44 PM

01-13-2011, 12:11 PM	#1186 (permalink)
RCZ A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Miami Posts: 6,403 Drives: '09 370Z Rep Power: 1119	Chris, I have a buddy that does GTR2 leagues too, he's pretty good. We should all play together one night. I usually host the server. Do you have any mods for it installed? We were racing JGTC cars the other night on Suzuka. We use ventrilo to chat while we play.

01-13-2011, 04:30 PM	#1188 (permalink)
RCZ A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Miami Posts: 6,403 Drives: '09 370Z Rep Power: 1119	Same here man, I have everything but time. Do you have the Champ car Lola mod? That is my favorite. Champ car + nurburgring track from GTR Evo = win.

01-13-2011, 11:18 PM	#1193 (permalink)
RCZ A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Miami Posts: 6,403 Drives: '09 370Z Rep Power: 1119	pictures or death.

01-13-2011, 11:34 PM	#1197 (permalink)
RCZ A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Miami Posts: 6,403 Drives: '09 370Z Rep Power: 1119	hahaha, I've, admittedly, been in here once or twice before.